Massive Pulmonary Infarction Simulating Carcinoma of the Lung

Abstract

Many inflammatory and other benign lesions of the lung may imitate carcinoma of the lung, both clinically and r&liologically. Often thoracotomy, and even pulmonary resection, is necessary to rule out the presence of a malignant lesion. One of the rarer lesions that has been mistaken for carcinoma of the lung is a localized infarct of the lung. Neville and Munz1 have reported two cases in which a segmental resection and a lobectomy were performed respectively for lung infarcts thought to be carcinoma grossly. Perkins and Bradshaw2 also cite two cases in which limited pulmonary resections were performed for localized lesions that were later found to be infarcts ofthe lung. A similar case has been reported by Smith.’ In such cases as these, resection was deemed necessary only to rule out a more serious pathologic entity, for localized inharcts of the lung can be expected to heal spontaneously. We are unaware, however, of any reported casein which a massive infarct simulated carcinoma of the lung clinically. We wish to report such a case which was treated successfully by lobectomy.